How to have healthier hedges—and happier neighbors.

Avoid trimming hedges in late summer or early fall, as this can harm new growth before winter. Freshly cut hedges are more vulnerable to cold temperatures, which can lead to dieback and other issues.

The next few weeks are some of the year’s best for pruning landscape plants – mainly woody-stemmed ones that already have bloomed for the year, as well as most needled evergreens. Spring-blooming ...